The present invention relates generally to portable stands and, more particularly, to a securable shelf for a technology workstand such as a portable laptop computer stand. The secure shelf or support assembly may be used for supporting the laptop computer and is configured to be adaptable for a variety of different sizes of laptop computers. The secure shelf includes a security device for securing an object such as the laptop computer to the support assembly when the laptop computer is in the open position.
In the healthcare industry, patient diagnosis and the need to access medical records occurs in an increasingly wide variety of settings. For example, many hospitals perform diagnostic procedures in a variety of rooms such as patient, emergency and operating rooms, as well as in laboratories, radiology departments and nurse stations. In each of these point-of-care locations, it is desirable to have immediate access to patient data, images and other medical documents.
In response to the increasing variety of patient treatment settings, portable work stations have been developed for use in the medical field. For example, some prior art portable work stations are arranged as cabinet-like structures having castors in order to facilitate transportation from one area of a hospital to another area. Appropriate computer-related equipment such as a personal computer having a self-contained power source may be included in the cabinet-like structure such that the work station may be moved from one patient room to another patient room to provide the capability to access patient records for the particular patient.
Unfortunately, such cabinet-like structures, while providing enhanced convenience due to their portability, present certain deficiencies relating to their bulk and size that make it cumbersome to move them from location to location. Furthermore, because the cabinet-mounted computer is accessible in a semi-public (i.e., hospital) setting, theft of a laptop computer itself significantly concerns large entities such as hospitals and other large organizations that purchase large quantities of such work stations.
As can be seen, there exists a need in the art for a portable computer stand that can mount certain computer related components such as laptop computers for transportability between various locations in a medical institution. Furthermore, there exists a need in the art for a portable computer stand that is convenient to use and which provides a support for the laptop computer while safeguarding against removal or theft of the laptop computer.